The "secret" to obtaining wealth is to live under your means. Not necessarily easy for many, but simple. You don't buy the new car like your neighbor - you invest what you saved. You don't buy the most house for what you earn and certainly not what the bank says you can afford. You don't use your credit cards as if they were supplemental income - they're not. Diversify your investments so that when one sector is down, hopefully another is up. And don't try to do it all fast by leveraging - you are more likely to lose it all in a downturn.